The Scotch & Cigar Thread

[tertius]

Went out to the cigar bar after training with the Oly team tonight. Can't sleep. Totally wired. I had forgotten about this effect of nicotine.

I mean, my sleep schedule's been messed up lately and all, but I am awake right now to an alarming degree.

I had one of my teammates, a regular cigar smoker, pick out a cigar for me, since I'm still largely clueless in this department. He chose a Nat Sherman for me. I think it was the "Hamilton" from their Host line.

It was very easy smoking, not very "heady", and pleasant if not particularly distinctive in taste. I still don't really have a palate for cigars, though, so it's hard for me to distinguish between them. Mostly, I noticed that it burned nicely without needing lots of fuss or monitoring, which I appreciated, since I still haven't really gotten the hang of keeping a cigar well lit. It also didn't make me queasy; I never used to have problems with that, but the last time I had a cigar, it made me pretty green around the gills (I unfortunately did not note the brand or type--it was at a BBQ party), so I was a little apprehensive.

Nicotine is a funny substance, both stimulating and relaxing, and how you respond to it can vary pretty strongly. But probably the one that made you ill had a quite high nicotine content, a higher ring gauge, or you smoked it much faster because of the setting. Or some combination there-of. I have some high nic cigars (and pipe tobacco! Lord, do I have some strong pipe tobacco) that will beat up my stomach if I smoke them too fast. Keep it leisurely, no big deal.

I've never seen a Nat Sherman cigar, though. Familiar with their very expensive cigarettes, but I'm not surprised that it smoked well, and was very smooth. That's sort of their brand identity, innit?

[Simma Park]

Nicotine is a funny substance, both stimulating and relaxing, and how you respond to it can vary pretty strongly.

When I was a smoker long ago, I found it both stimulating (in a non-adrenal way) and relaxing. But now that I smoke very rarely, and only cigars when I do, it apparently wires me in a way it didn't when I was consuming it regularly.

But probably the one that made you ill had a quite high nicotine content, a higher ring gauge, or you smoked it much faster because of the setting.

I've had very strong cigars before, though, with no problem--I was able to just pace myself. I think the one I had that made me queasy was an issue because I had trouble keeping it lit, so I was constantly relighting it. I now have a theory that the amount of puffing you do when lighting delivers really high concentrations of nicotine very quickly. But maybe that's just my imagination.

[Carlos Daniel]

I've had some strong nicotine cigars before but the effect was soothing rather than stimulating. Strange, huh?

[Chebass88]

This is a good thread to find. I'm currently working on a bottle of Laphroaig 18 yr old, and just finished a bottle of Dalwhinnie 15 a couple of weeks ago. I'm not the biggest fan of cigars, as I prefer a half-bent briar pipe with an aromatic blend. I have a decent collection of pipes & tobaccos, so if I remember, I'll take a photo or two to post.

I really liked the Dalwhinnie 15, but I'd also like to try something different for the next time I have some spare cash. Can anyone recommend something similar to the Dalwhinnie or that you think I would like? Thanks!

[hbriem]

My current bottle is an Old Pulteney 12. A lovely dram of the non-smoky kind.

Regarding bourbons. On a recent trip to New York I was able to taste quite a few bourbons having very little previous experience with them. The only ones available here are the supposedly prosaic Jack Daniels and Jim Beam. Anyway I tried Maker's Mark, Maker's 46, Rittenhouse, Wild Turkey, Knob Creek, Four Roses, Buffalo Trace and probably others that I've forgotten about in the general haze of dissipation.

Anyway, I still don't quite "get" bourbon. I mean, it's a nice drink and all, but I don't really get any significant differences between brands like I do with scotch single malts. Perhaps the overwhelming influence of vanilla from the new casks obscures everything else and you need a subtler or more practiced palate to go beyond it. More research is clearly needed ;-)

[tertius]

My current bottle is an Old Pulteney 12. A lovely dram of the non-smoky kind.

Regarding bourbons. On a recent trip to New York I was able to taste quite a few bourbons having very little previous experience with them. The only ones available here are the supposedly prosaic Jack Daniels and Jim Beam. Anyway I tried Maker's Mark, Maker's 46, Rittenhouse, Wild Turkey, Knob Creek, Four Roses, Buffalo Trace and probably others that I've forgotten about in the general haze of dissipation.

Anyway, I still don't quite "get" bourbon. I mean, it's a nice drink and all, but I don't really get any significant differences between brands like I do with scotch single malts. Perhaps the overwhelming influence of vanilla from the new casks obscures everything else and you need a subtler or more practiced palate to go beyond it. More research is clearly needed ;-)

Well, at least one of those is a Rye, and not Bourbon. :-) And the Wild Turkey might be a Rye too.

There's quite a lot of variety in Bourbon, actually. It does take some time to get beyond the wood influence, and honestly a lot of the bigger brands rely overmuch on the wood. Having a very unsubtle palette, I tend to prefer a higher rye content in the mashbill (like Knob Creek), and dislike wheated whiskeys (Maker's). But Bourbon is much more conservative in a lot of ways than even the Scotch business, and it's only with some of the very small distillers that people are willing to experiment.

[tnumrych]

Our liquor order came in today and this is what I found. Balvenie 12 Doublewood, Balvenie 14 Caribbean Cask, Balvenie 21 Portwood, Glenfiddich 12, Glenfiddich 15, Glenfiddich 18, and Glenfiddich 21 Gran Reserva.

[mstrofbass]

I'm not going to catch up on what I missed, but has anyone tried that whiskey coming from Colorado yet?

[tertius]

I'm not going to catch up on what I missed, but has anyone tried that whiskey coming from Colorado yet?

Stranahan's? It's excellent. Or it was. My bottle is pre-purchase of the distillery by Proximo Beverage.
I gather the same crew is running the joint, though, and their focus is still on quality.

It's essentially a single malt, aged in heavily, heavily charred American Oak. The mash may be hopped (the started making the whiskey from bad batches of beer, acquired from a local brewer, the story goes), and the whiskey has an interestingly vegetal, grassy note to it. But it's clearly a barley whiskey, and very, very easy drinking. I prefer it over most of the bourbon I've tried.

[JStrong]

I was just invited to try this Stranahan by my expensive-scotch-buying-buddy, I will need to go visit him, nice reviews guys.

I've been too poor for anything but JW Red lately. but the Bulleit Bourbon I'm sipping is nice.